Tuesday, March 03

Researchers have discovered a critical flaw in the backbone of HTTPS-protected traffic, and it is an exploit that has potentially existed for decades. The flaw exists in approximately 36 percent of websites that use HTTPS, and miscreants are able to intercept and modify data passing between a vulnerable browser and a susceptible site. At the moment, OS X and iOS Safari and Chrome are vulnerable to the attack, as are ...

Unity Technologies has finally brought the fifth version of the company's game engine out of beta as a general release, the company announced at the Game Developer Conference. Originally debuted in March last year and existing in beta for a number of months, Unity 5 offers a number of upgrades over earlier versions, including the ability to render better-looking and more complex scenes with an improved lighting syste...

While significantly disagreeing on the shipment or sales numbers of its rivals, analysis firms IDC and Gartner have agreed that Apple surpassed all expectations in a number of areas with its record-shattering calendar Q4 performance, with Gartner awarding Apple the crown of top smartphone seller in the world. An earlier report by IDC had Apple barely missing the top spot, claiming that Samsung shipped 75.1 million un...

Tesoro Technology has announced the Excalibur Spectrum mechanical keyboard, featuring individual key-specific customizability in 16.8 million colors. The Excalibur Spectrum allows gamers to individually customize virtually any color, to any key. Eight different LED effects, such as dimming, full zone, trigger, ripple, firework, radiation, rainbow wave, cab be selected, with per key customized mode as well as five lev...

Archos has revealed a selection of high-capacity tablets at Mobile World Congress, along with new memory-boosting technology to help make storage management more efficient. The Magnus tablet range offer capacities of up to 256GB, while the manufacturer's "Fusion Storage" system allows for external microSD card storage to be effectively combined with the internal memory of the tablet. ...

Today, at the Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, AMD announced an initiative to deliver the best possible VR experience for developers and users. The first output of AMD's initiative is LiquidVR, a set of technologies focused on enabling exceptional VR content development for AMD hardware, improved comfort in VR applications by simplifying performance-boosting techniques, and plug-and-play compatibility with...

Welcome to Daily Deals, the weekday post when the staff of MacNN and Electronista search for discounts and deals on hardware, software, games, gadgets, and other tech for you, our discerning readers. Today, we have a pair of Linksys routers, Sennheiser headphones, and a 27-inch Dell 4K monitor, alongside our recap of yesterday's still-active deals....

Alongside the new Nikon D7200 DSLR shown at the Mobile World Congress yesterday, the imaging company announced the Coolpix P900, a point-and-shoot camera with a 83x optical zoom. The 16MP shooter also includes built-in GPS, and the Nikon Snapbridge technology, allowing users to pair the camera with an iOS or Android device over NFC or Wi-Fi for image sharing and camera control....

PayPal has made two announcements relating to mobile payments at Mobile World Congress, including an acquisition. The company has purchased Paydiant, a startup that provides mobile wallet services to retailers and banks for payments, loyalty cards, and coupons. At the same time, PayPal advises it will be making an updated version of its Here Chip and PIN reader, this time one that works with NFC. ...

The Khronos Group, an open consortium of leading hardware and software companies, today announced the availability of technical previews of the new Vulkan open standard API for high-efficiency access to graphics and compute on modern GPUs used in a wide variety of devices. This ground-up design, previously referred to as the Next Generation OpenGL Initiative, provides applications direct control over GPU acceleration...

The Republican-run US House Judiciary Committee has sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission head Tom Wheeler, claiming that the new net neutrality ruling is the "most oppressive and backward regulatory option possible," despite a failure to cite any specific evidence of harm. The committee is claiming it will instigate a Congressional Review Act to refute the net neutrality regulations as voted on by the F...

Pebble has given backers of its wildly-successful Pebble Time Kickstarter a difficult decision, by adding an alternative device to purchase. Similar to the Pebble Steel compared to the original, the Pebble Time Steel is a metal-clad version of the smartwatch, containing the majority of internal components as the updated wearable device, but with a few slight changes to match the more mature design. ...

Judge Lucy Koh of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California offered little opinion on a revised settlement, which would end the Silicon Valley worker poaching class-action suit. The $415 million counter-offer is $90 million more than the older deal, and exceeds what the judge asked for to approve the deal. Focusing dissent on what attorneys and a objector asked for individually, Judge ...

Burg announced today the new Burg 31, the first standalone phone and safety smartwatch for kids and senior citizens. The new smartwatch has a Miyota watch movement with traditional analog hands, a GPS tracker, and is a standalone phone to make and receive calls and texts without a tethered smartphone....

When it comes to selecting a printer, it's not exactly something most people put a lot of thought into. Printers are often touted as fragile, fickle devices that break at the drop of the hat - and in our personal experience, most home printers are this way. But what if someone owns a business and is looking to replace their small, slow printer with something a little more substantial? That's the moment the market sud...

BlackBerry used its Mobile World Congress media event to launch a new mid-ranged smartphone, as well as teasing another future device, The BlackBerry Leap is aimed at "young mobile professionals" and has a five-inch 1280x720-resolution display, while a second unnamed device is a slider-style smartphone with a keyboard hidden behind the screen. ...

Memory producer SanDisk has set the bar high for mobile device storage, by revealing its first 200GB microSD card. At the same time, the company unveiled two more items for transferring data between computers and devices, including its first USB deive using a Type C connector, and the 128GB iXpand Flash Drive designed for use with the iPhone and iPad. ...

Monday, March 02

As the publicity machine shifts into high gear in preparation for the public debut of the Apple Watch on March 9, new details and additional features, applications and other bits of information are making their way into the press. The codename for the project, for example, was "Gizmo," reports The New York Times. Among other revelations are the role that former Adobe Flash chief Kevin Lynch played, power-saving and s...

Epic Games is making it easier for would-be developers to gain access to its powerful Unreal Engine 4 software, by getting rid of the monthly subscription. Previously costing $19 per month per user, Epic has removed the charge entirely, allowing anyone with an interest to register, download, and use the game engine in the production of their own games and apps. ...

Intel Corporation CEO Brian Krzanich today announced a series of mobile platforms including the company's new low-cost system-on-chip (SoC) for phones, phablets and tablets. The announcements include the Intel Atom x3 processor series, Intel's first integrated communications SoC solution for the growing value and entry device markets, and the five-mode Intel XMM 7360 LTE Advanced solution, designed for performance an...

Gionee has launched a slim phone at Mobile World Congress measuring just 5.5mm thick. Taking after the Elife S5.5 in terms of thinness, the Elife S7 manages to fit in a 5.2-inch 1080p AMOLED display into its narrow aviation-grade alloy frame, covered with stainless steel sheet and nano-molding plastic, with the rest of the specifications appearing to suggest little has been taken out of the device. ...

Google+ is reportedly approaching a transformation, with a renewed focus on Photos and Hangouts. The two popular features appear to be splitting apart from the central service, marking the first step in an apparent rebranding effort that is likely aimed at revitalizing Google's stagnate social network....

At yesterday's keynote to the Mobile World Congress, alongside the Galaxy S6 family of phones, Samsung revealed Samsung Pay, a competitor to the Apple Pay service. Not much was said about the new offering, derived almost entirely from the recent purchase of LoopPay -- but more information has come to light, including why Samsung noted in press materials that the phone could be remotely wiped to secure Samsung Pay inf...

Welcome to Daily Deals, the post where we scour online retailers to find discounts and offers on gadgets, hardware, games, and other items for you, the discerning MacNN and Electronista reader. Since it is the start of a new week, we have wiped the slate clean, with the new collection of deals including a Fujifilm 16MP compact camera, a 6TB Seagate desktop hard drive for $200, and a 24-inch Viewsonic monitor....

Earlier today, drawing tablet manufacturer Wacom announced the latest in its line of artists' peripherals, the Cintiq 13HD touch. The Cintiq 13HD touch is designed to offer a natural pen and touch experience. Wacom's pen display offers characteristic touch and pen capabilities, providing a digital workflow that emulates drawing or painting on paper or canvas....

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a reply to a London Apple Store worker who asked about increased accessibility in the company's latest projects, reportedly said that Apple Environmental Vice President Lisa Jackson has been tasked with helping Apple increase its focus on accessibility. "In every product we do, we want it to be accessible for everyone," Cook said, adding that the Apple Watch will gain some accessibility feature...

IBM and Apple have used their partnership to release three more iOS apps for enterprise, under the IBM MobileFirst for iOS initiative. The new apps, called Advisor Alerts, Passenger Care, and Dynamic Buy, will join the existing 11 apps already brought out under the partnership, with more enterprise-specific apps expected to launch in the coming years. ...

Panasonic has introduced the Nubo, a new surveillance camera that is claimed to be the first with built-in 4G connectivity. Buyers can already choose from a wide range of cameras connected via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, however the Nubo taps into an unaddressed niche market for monitoring in places where a Wi-Fi connection is not available....

Google is finally ready to enter the mobile payment arena, today introducing a payment platform known as Android Pay. The platform will be available via an API framework, with support for NFC and biometric authentication, allowing developers to creatively integrate the feature into a wide range of third-party apps....

Kazam has outed one more device at Mobile World Congress, joining its other Trooper launches from last week. The Kazam Tornado 455L is a mid-ranged LTE-equipped Android Kitkat smartphone with a 5.5-inch 720p IPS display, with it also being IP67-certified for protection from the elements, with Gorilla Glass covering the screen, and the manufacturer offering support in the form of cracked screen replacements and a thre...

Google has confirmed plans to offer its own wireless service in the US market. The company will establish itself as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using existing carrier networks, according to a plan outlined by product chief Sundar Pichai today at Mobile World Congress....

ZTE's latest flagship launching outside of China uses the owner's eyes to unlock the device, rather than codes or fingerprints. The latest in the Grand range, the ZTE Grand S3 uses EyeVerify's Eyeprint ID system to scan the eyes as a biometric authentication, instead of a fingerprint-based system used by some flagship devices, with Eyeprint ID keeping track of unique vein patterns on the eye itself. ...

Privacy company Silent Circle has revealed the second-generation Blackphone and announced plans for a security-focused Blackphone+ tablet. The Blackphone 2 features a range of hardware upgrades, but many business buyers will also welcome expanded support for enterprise mobile-device management systems such as Citrix....

Nikon today expanded its DSLR range with the D7200. The new model, aimed at the enthusiast market, has a 24.2MP CMOS, boasting no optical low-pass filter. Due to improvements in hardware and software, the company claims 30 percent faster image processing with the new model over the now replaced D7100....

Sony has unveiled its new Z4 tablet at Mobile World Congress, claiming the title of world's thinnest and lightest tablet in the 10-inch class. It is also said to integrate the brightest display in the segment, with a battery that promises to last through 17 straight hours of video playback....

Microsoft has made a second version of its multi-platform keyboard, this time in a more-portable form. Unveiled at Mobile World Congress alongside new Lumia devices, the Universal Foldable Keyboard is a full QWERTY keyboard which can be paired with two iOS, Android, Windows Phone, or Windows devices, with the user able to switch between the two with a press of a button. ...

Sony has expanded its Xperia smartphone lineup, adding the M4 Aqua this week at Mobile World Congress. The company is not shy about labelling it a midrange Android device, promising that all of the popular features and capabilities remain mostly intact, despite its lower price tag....

Qualcomm president Derek Aberle laid out the company's future System on a Chip (SoC) offering in a presentation at the Mobile World Congress today -- the Snapdragon 820. The new chip, unveiled as devices with the Snapdragon 810 are just now seeing release, features a 64-bit CPU, and will be sampled to device vendors before the end of 2015....

Microsoft has added two more mid-ranged devices to its Lumia device roster. The Lumia 640 has a five-inch 720p ClearBlack IPS display, with the Lumia 640 XL boasting a similar-resolution 5.7-inch display, and though they both have similar core specifications and share the same name, the XL version has a few more extra changes. ...

BlackBerry today unveiled a package of software and services to bring the platform's security features to smartphone and tablets running iOS, Android, and Windows operating systems. Coming to all platforms are the BlackBerry Productivity Suite, BlackBerry Communication and Collaboration Suite, and the BlackBerry Security Suite. The Productivity Suite allows users to manage work and personal messages, and edit docume...

Following on from yesterday's tablet launches, Lenovo has unveiled another trio of mobile devices at Mobile World Congress. The Vibe Shot is a smartphone with a focus on photography, the A7000 is claimed to be the world's first smartphone to use Dolby Atmos, and the Pocket Projector is a compact accessory for Android devices. ...

Sunday, March 01

Every Sunday, MacNN and Electronista collect together a few notable items from earlier this week in the world of gaming. In this week's Weekly Game Replay, Telltale Games is working with Lionsgate to span between games and TV shows, Fable Legends becomes free-to-play, and ToeJam & Earl may be making a comeback. ...

Alcatel has introduced the latest model in its OneTouch smartphone lineup, the Idol 3, which will be available in two screen sizes. Making its debut at Mobile World Congress, the Idol 3 features a unique 'reversible' function that allows users to take phone calls or navigate the interface when the device is upside down....

Acer has introduced three Android smartphones at Mobile World Congress, alongside the Liquid Leap+ and the Windows Phone-based Liquid M220. The Liquid Z220 and Liquid Z520 are entry-level devices, while the Liquid Jade Z follows on from the Liquid Jade S as a high-end smartphone, but slightly dialed back in specification to make it a more affordable mobile device. ...

Huawei has introduced the seven-inch MediaPad X2 tablet at Mobile World Congress. The company promotes the MediaPad X1's successor as suitable for use as a phone, with dual SIM slots and a thin-bezel housing that measures just 7.3mm thick. The second generation promises to deliver improved call quality, enhanced software and better camera and video features....

Lenovo has launched three tablets at Mobile World Congress. The Tab 2 A10-70 and Tab 2 A8 are Android tablets with 10.1-inch and 8-inch screens respectively, with both boasting Dolby Atmos surround sound audio processing, while the Ideapad Miix 300 is an 8-inch slate that will ship with Windows 8.1 and a one-year subscription to Office 365. ...

Just as expected, Samsung has launched two flagship smartphones at its Unpacked event today. The Galaxy S6 is the latest update to the long-standing Galaxy S line, while the Galaxy S6 edge improves upon the expanded screen concept introduced with the Galaxy Note Edge last year, but this time Samsung has curved the screen around both sides of the device, giving users an even wider display. ...

Today at its Mobile World Congress keynote, Samsung Electronics announced the latest in mobile payment services, Samsung Pay. Utilizing the company's purchase of LoopPay in February, Samsung's effort uses both Near Field Communication (NFC) and a new proprietary technology called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST), allowing consumers to transition to secure mobile payments at nearly all merchant locations. ...

Acer has introduced an updated version of its fitness tracker, now known as the Liquid Leap+. The device offers all of the typical fitness features, in a water-resistant package that retails for less than $90....